As the honeycomb structure used in the purification apparatus for the exhaust gas of the internal engine, there are a one-piece honeycomb structure of cordierite, an assembly type honeycomb structure formed by integrally adhering a plurality of silicon carbide honeycomb units through a seal material (adhesive material), and so on. As the seal material is recommended a material constituted with ceramic particles of a carbide or a nitride having a high thermal conductivity such as silicon carbide, aluminum nitride or the like (see, for example, JP-A08-28246 and JP-A2004-130176). As an example of a refractory adhesive showing a plasticity are known an inorganic aggregate, inorganic fibers, an inorganic binder such as colloidal silica and/or colloidal alumina, and a fibrous refractory adiabatic composition compounded with an aqueous mixed solution of polyvinyl alcohol and methyl cellulose as an organic binder (see, for example, JP-A64-42373).
The contents of JP-A08-28246, JP-A2004-130176 and JP-A64-42373 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.